Cheongju Korean BBQ: 14,000-won frozen pork belly at Woosam Bunpyeong

A review of Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch, a frozen samgyeopsal (pork belly) and shio-yaki grill spot in Bunpyeong-dong, Cheongju. ⓒ words/photos by Traveling Daisyha

On a weekend evening, I walked in and there wasn't a single empty seat. I'd been looking for a good frozen samgyeopsal place in Bunpyeong-dong, and seeing it fully packed, I thought, 'this is the one.'

This is my review of Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch in Bunpyeong-dong, Cheongju. I ordered frozen pork belly and pork neck, and the meat was so tender I understood right away why it's popular.

What kind of restaurant is Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch?

Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch is a frozen samgyeopsal and shio-yaki specialty restaurant near Wonmaru Market in Bunpyeong-dong, Seowon-gu, Cheongju. There's a main branch in Yullyang-dong, and this Bunpyeong location is a newly opened direct branch.

'Woosam' is short for 'smiling pig samgyeopsal' — a cute name from the start.

I went on a weekend evening and it was popular enough to be fully booked. Word had clearly already gotten around about this samgyeopsal spot in Bunpyeong-dong.

The interior has a cozy, homey feel. There's a semi-private room and a private room inside too, so if you want a quieter meal, you can sit there. I was looking for a good samgyeopsal spot in Bunpyeong-dong, and I ended up liking the atmosphere too.

What is shio-yaki, and why did it start in Cheongju?

Woosam is also known as a shio-yaki spot in Cheongju — shio-yaki refers to pork belly marinated in soy sauce. There's a fun bit of trivia worth knowing here.

It started in the late 1960s as salt-sprinkled pork belly, then evolved into the soy-sauce-marinated version in the early 1970s.

What's interesting is that Cheongju is said to be the birthplace of shio-yaki. The scallion salad served alongside samgyeopsal is also said to have been invented in Cheongju. As a Cheongju local, that felt oddly satisfying to know, and it got me even more excited to eat.

What comes free with the meal at Woosam Bunpyeong

The basic side dish setup at Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch includes vegetables, lettuce wraps, scallion salad, bracken fern, bean sprouts, pink sausage, dumplings, and more. And that's not even the end of it!

They set out one fish cake skewer per person according to the number of guests!

Crispy shrimp tempura is also served one per person, which was great for whetting the appetite before the meal, and the steamed egg was soft and delicious too!

If you run out of any side dish, you can just grab more from the self-serve bar!

The price is ₩14,000 for 170g, which is very reasonable! It's cheap but still Korean pork, so the quality is good, and it's already known as a must-visit spot around Bunpyeong's Wonmaru Market.

How the frozen pork belly tastes: tender, not tough

I ordered the flash-frozen pork belly and pork neck at Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch. Since it's frozen samgyeopsal, it comes sliced thin, and once it's on the grill the edges curl up and turn golden brown as they cook.

You get the crispy parts and the tender inside in the same bite — that texture is the real charm of frozen samgyeopsal.

They said the meat is 100% Korean pork, and it definitely showed in the quality. Even frozen, there was no off-smell, just a proper savory meaty aroma.

It was so tender that you could tell the quality was good in one bite — one of the best frozen samgyeopsal spots I've had in Cheongju.

The highlight here is the house-made soy sauce. A lot of places use pre-made sauce these days, but Woosam apparently makes theirs from scratch.

The sweet-and-salty soy sauce paired with the tender meat kept the samgyeopsal from tasting flat and brought out a real depth of flavor. The pork neck was also cooked moist and juicy, and switching back and forth between it and the belly never got old.

Grilling tips and the self-serve side dish bar

The owner grilled it for us personally and shared some tips. Since shio-yaki has sauce that can stick and burn on the grill, it needs to be flipped often, and it's better eaten when just cooked through rather than grilled too hard. That's how you get to properly enjoy the chewy, soft texture of frozen samgyeopsal. Even first-timers don't need to worry, since the staff take care of the grilling for you.

The side dishes were plentiful too. They grill mini dumplings, pink sausage, king oyster mushrooms, and bean sprouts on the grill along with the meat. In particular, grilling kimchi and bean sprouts in the meat drippings was fantastic — spicy, tangy, and sweet all at once.

Add scallion salad, ssamjang (dipping sauce), and sesame oil salt, and each bite comes together perfectly. On top of that, steamed egg, skewered fish cake, shrimp tempura, and japchae-guksu noodles kept coming — the quality of the side dishes was surprising for a BBQ restaurant. The japchae-guksu noodles had a deep, savory anchovy broth that cleared the palate of grease.

Finishing with self-serve fried rice and somaek

Once you're done with the meat, fried rice is a must. At Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch, it's self-made — gochujang-based rice comes out with lettuce and seaweed on the side. The rice is pre-mixed with seasoning, so even making it yourself, it fries up evenly.

It's on foil, so it's easy to scrape up all the crispy bits stuck to the bottom, and that crunchy, savory, salty crust was the perfect finish.

The place was bustling since it was the weekend, and mixing up a soju-beer to go with the samgyeopsal in that atmosphere felt so good. The meat was tender enough that the drinks went down easily too. Even fully booked, the owner and staff took great care of us with a friendly attitude, and I left in a great mood. There's clearly a reason this is a popular BBQ spot in Bunpyeong-dong.

Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch: address and opening hours

Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch is near Wonmaru Market and Wonpyeong Elementary School. Weekend evenings get busy enough to be fully booked, so it's a good idea to arrive a bit early or make a reservation. Hours and menu may change, so check Naver Place before visiting.

If you're looking for frozen samgyeopsal or a good BBQ restaurant in Bunpyeong-dong, Cheongju, give Woosam Bunpyeong Direct Branch a try.